Package holder



Dec. 15, 1964 R. A. PARR 3, ,3

PACKAGE HOLDER Filed May 2, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l R. A. PARR PACKAGE HOLDER Dec. 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1962 FIG.

United States Patent 3,161,326 PACKAGE HGLlD-ER Raymond A. Parr, San Mateo, Qalih, assignor to Eachaging Frontiers, line, Waitham, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 2, 1962, Sen. No. 191,946 3 (Ilaims. (Cl. 222-183) This invention relates to package holders, more particularly to a holder for a tetrahedron-shaped package.

The tetrahedron-shaped package is a modern type of package, made by a form-fill-seal technique from flexible packing material, essentially comprising a length of tubing having a transverse seal at one end in a first plane and a transverse seal at its other end in a second plane at such an angle to the plane of the first seal (usually at an angle of 90 to the plane of the first seal) that the package has four triangular sides, two of which have the first transverse seal as their base and the other two of which have the second transverse seal as their base. While such a package will rest in stable equilibrium on any one of its four sides, it obviously cannot stand upright on one of its ends. Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of a holder for such a package adapted to hold the package in upright position, the package having an opening at the top for dispensing the contents thereof, the holder including a dispensing cap, thereby providing for convenience in use and protection of the unused portion of the contents of the package; the provision of a holder such as described adapted for easy application thereto of a package and the cap; and the provision of a holder such as described as to which the cap may take various forms, such as a cap for powders, granular materials or the like with a pouring opening and a closure for the pouring opening or a plurality of holes for shaking out the contents, or a cap with a neck and screw closure for the neck, etc. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing a holder of this in vention without the dispensing cap;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a tretrahadron-shaped package in the holder, prior to opening the package at its upper end;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective showing the opened upper end of the package formed for application of the cap, and showing the cap in position for application;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective showing the cap in place;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4, and

FIGS. 6-8 are perspectives illustrating alternative types of dispensing caps.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawlngs.

Referring to the drawings, a holder of this invention is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 1. This is adapted to hold a tetrahedron-shaped package P in upright position. Package P is shown as somewhat elongated, having fiat tin-like end seals Eli and E2 in planes at right angles to one another (accounting for the tetrahedron shape of the package). Holder 1 comprises a base 3 adapted to rest on a supporting surface, such as a table or counter, having an elongate recess or slot 5 of such length and Width as to be capable of receiving one ice of the end seals of the package. As shown, base 1 is of elliptical shape (though this is not essential), slot 5 extending on the major axis of the ellipse. The base has a fiat bottom and a flat top, and slot 5 is formed in the top.

A pair of arms 7 extend upward from the base 3 at opposite ends of the slot (i.e., at the ends of the major axis of the base ellipse). These arms are relatively thin and narrow, leaving wide openings at two opposite sides of the holder for insertion of a package P. Each arm has a C-shaped portion 9 at its upper end, the two C- shaped portions having their open sides opposed to one another. Each C-shaped portion 9 has a horizontally extending rib or head 11 on the outside thereof.

Arms 7 are resilient so that they may be sprung inward toward one another and C-shaped portions are also resilient so that, when pressed together, they may flatten out, and then return to C-shaped form uponbeing released. The unit constituted by base 3 and arms 7 may be made, for example, of suitable plastic material, which as to the arms and the C-shaped portions will have such resilience.

As shown in FIG. 2, a package P is entered between arms 7 and its lower end (end seal E1 as shown) is inserted in the slot 5. The upper end of the package is then positioned between the G-shaped portions 9 at the upper ends of the arms. The C-shaped portions are then pinched together by the thumb and forefinger to flatten them, as appears in FIG. 2. The package projects to some extent above the upper edges of C-shaped portions 9, and the upper end of the package is then torn off or cut oli on a line just below the upper end seal E2 so that the package is fully opened at the top. The tearing 01? or outing is accomplished along the upper edges of the flattened C-shaped portions 9.

Then, the tit-shaped portions are released to allow them to resume their normal C-shape and to allow arms '7 to spring back outward, and the upper end of the package is pinched between the thumb and forefinger to spread it open to elliptical shape fitting within the C-shaped portions engaging the inside of the latter, as shown in FIG. 3. This forms the top of the package for reception of a dispensing cap 13 (see FIGS. 3-5). This cap is of elliptical shape, having a depending outside lip 15 at its periphery and a depending inside lip 17 spaced inward from lip 13 to define an annular elliptical recess 19 adapted to receive C-shaped portions 9 and the upper end margin of the package. Inside lip 17 may, as shown, be wider than outside lip 15 to extend below the latter. Outside lip 15 has a groove 21 accepting the ribs or beads 11 on C-shaped portions 9 for snap-locking the cap in place and pressing the upper end of the package against the inside lip 17 to provide a seal.

As shown in FIGS. 35, cap 13 ing 23 therein and a pivoted spout 25 associated with the opening. This is only exemplary of various dispensing arrangements that may be used in conjunction with the cap. For example, for packages of powdered or granular material or the like which is to be shaken out, the cap may be a shaker type cap as shown in FIG. 6, having a plurality of shaker holes 27. For packages of liquid (liquid detergent, for example), the cap may, as shown in FIG. 7, have a threaded neck 29 and a threaded closure 31 for the neck. For packages of semiliquid, a conventional pump 33 may be used extending through an opening in the cap, as shown in FIG. 8.

It will be apparent that, after the package P held in the holder 1 has been emptied, the cap 13 may be snapped off, the emptied package removed, and a new package inserted, the holder being reuseable many times.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several has a dispensing open- 3 I objects of'the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes couldbe made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter' contained in the: above description or shown'in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative'and not-in a limiting sense. I

What is claimed is: 1' 7 r I 1. A holder-adapted to-hold ajtetrahedr'on-shaped package in upright position, thepackage being open'at' the top, andpto'provide-for dispensing ofthe contents of the package;throughitsopen-top, comprising a base-adapted to rest'ona supporting surface and having'fan elongate slot for receiving the-lower end of thepackage, a pair of supportingarms extending upward from 'the base at' opposite ends of the slot, each arm having a cap-receivin'g portion at its upper end, said portions being adapted for reception 'therebet'ween of the open upper end of the package, and a dispensing cap mounted on said'por'tions', *said arms being-resilient for springing their upper ends inward *towa'rdon'e another, said capQrceiving portions being of C-shape witli'their' open sidesfi'opposed to one r 3,161,326 a w a another for reception of the open'upper end of a package with the latter spread open, said C-sh'aped"cap receiving' portions being resilient so that they may be flattened against opposite sides of a package by pinching them together. a i

2. A holder as set forthin' claim lwherein the cap has inner and outer'lips defining an annular r'ecessfor- Wolf Dec; 30, 19 30 1,828,154 Siqvelan'd Oct. 20, 1931 2,069,738 Bt1chen' a Feb, 9, 1937 2,326,641. Heeter et a1. Aug. 10, 1943 2,568,526; Waring Sept." 18, 1951 2,709,024" Lemoine 'et' al. May 24, 1955 

1. A HOLDER ADAPTED TO HOLD A TETRAHEDRON-SHAPED PACKAGE IN UPRIGHT POSITION, THE PACKAGE BEING OPEN AT THE TOP, AND TO PROVIDE FOR DISPENSING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE THROUGH ITS OPEN TOP, COMPRISING A BASE ADAPTED TO REST ON A SUPPORTING SURFACE AND HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT FOR RECEIVING THE LOWER END OF THE PACKAGE, A PAIR OF SUPPORTING ARMS EXTENDING UPWARD FROM THE BASE AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SLOT, EACH ARM HAVING A CAP-RECEIVING PORTION AT ITS UPPER END, SAID PORTIONS BEING ADAPTED FOR RECEPTION THEREBETWEEN OF THE OPEN UPPER END OF THE PACKAGE, AND A DISPENSING CAP MOUNTED ON SAID PORTIONS, SAID ARMS BEING RESILIENT FOR SPRINGING THEIR UPPER ENDS INWARD TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, SAID CAP-RECEIVING PORTIONS BEING OF C-SHAPED WITH THEIR OPEN SIDES OPPOSED TO ONE ANOTHER FOR RECEPTION OF THE OPEN UPPER END OF A PACKAGE WITH THE LATTER SPREAD OPEN, SAID C-SHAPED CAP-RECEIVING PORTIONS BEING RESILIENT SO THAT THEY MAY BE FLATTENED AGAINST OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PACKAGE BY PINCHING THEM TOGETHER. 